The invention relates to the field of toys and amusement devices, and in particular dice-like toys or game pieces which remain in a position at the end of a defined movement progression, wherein an indicator surface, which as a rule points upward, indicates a defined result or a defined symbol, from whose value it is possible to determine, for example, the progress of a game, but which can also be used without any other accessories for game and entertainment purposes.
A game of this type is disclosed in German Patent Publication DE 36 03 162 A1. This game includes throwing dice which differ from traditional dice only in that, in place of the six square lateral surfaces, six diamond-shaped lateral surfaces are provided, it being intended to give at least the impression that it is possible to achieve a desired result in a preferred manner by means of a certain behavior of the dice. In this case, the lateral surfaces constituting mutually opposed resting and indication surfaces are offset with respect to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,279 provides a pentagonal dodecahedron put together from two halves, whose total of twelve resting and display surfaces are respectively embodied as pentagons. Oppositely located pentagons have the same display symbols (for example the same number). The goal of this construction is a statistically absolutely equal probability of the appearance of all display symbols. The "throwing characteristics" are relatively straight because of the large number of surfaces.
German Patent Publication DE 36 41 730 A1 discloses a similar toy, which is constituted by a polygon with a large number of main surfaces connected with each other by beveled edges, so that this polygon comes even closer to a sphere-like shape. In contrast to the subject of the first mentioned reference, it is intended here to make manipulation impossible because of the high degree of symmetry of the individual surfaces of the polygon and the sphere-like shape. The object of this reference also is to provide a multitude of surfaces, but to avoid surfaces of different size. This embodiment of the known object makes ball-like games possible, in particular when using appropriately large embodiments, and would therefore be classified as a toy which lies in a transition area between dice and a ball.